Method for adhesion of surface skin of ball

ABSTRACT

A method for adhering a surface skin of a ball, which uses a means that is free of solvent and involves no solvent, and which is friendly to the environment, creates no odor, poses no danger of fire attributable to catalysts, eliminates the solvent drying time and space that would otherwise be required, and requires no particular skill. In a ball, an adhesive layer  2  is provided on the outer surface of a carcass  1 , and a surface skin  3  is placed over the adhesive layer  2 ; or the adhesive layer  2  is provided on the inner surface of the surface skin  3 , and the surface skin  3  is placed over the carcass  1 ; and adhesion is performed using a means free of solvent. Here, the carcass  1  includes the adhesive layer  2  provided over a tube  1   a  or includes a reinforcing layer  4  provided over the tube  1   a , and the adhesive layer  2  provided over the reinforcing layer  4.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for adhering a surface skin of a ball.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventional balls used for sports include a bonded ball in which a surface skin is provided on a reinforcing layer, a rubber ball in which a rubber layer is provided on a reinforcing layer, and a stitched ball in which a surface skin and a valve portion are fixed together.

On the insides of these balls is what is known as a carcass, comprising a rubber member called a tube, which has a valve and holds the air inside to become spherical when filled with air, and a reinforcing layer, which covers the tube.

A surface skin is bonded over this carcass by way of using a solvent. But the use of a solvent for this purpose accompanies several problems. There is a solvent odor and the danger of fire, which creates an unhealthful working environment; and the solvents take time to dry, take up space while drying, and require adjustment of the viscosity, which requires considerable skill.

In view of this, the present invention discloses and provides a method for adhering a surface skin of a ball, which supplants conventional methods for adhering a ball surface skin, and which does not use a solvent, that is, which performs adhesion by a means that is free of solvent; and it is, therefore, friendly to the environment, results in no odor, poses no risk of fire attributable to solvents, eliminates the solvent drying time and space that would otherwise be required, and requires no special skill.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

With the present invention, in adhering a ball surface skin, an adhesive layer is provided on either the surface skin or the carcass, and the carcass and surface skin are adhered together. The carcass is such that either an adhesive layer is provided over a tube, or a reinforcing layer is provided over a tube and an adhesive layer is provided over the reinforcing layer, while the adhesive layer is selected from an adhesive film, a thermal adhesion film, a powdered adhesive agent, and a non-solvent adhesive agent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially omitted cross sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted cross sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially omitted cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the present invention.

As for the reference numerals used in all the drawings, 1 is a carcass, 1 a is a tube, 2 is an adhesive layer, 3 is a surface skin, and 4 is a reinforcing layer.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 1, which illustrates a method for adhering a surface skin of a ball. In a ball, an adhesive layer 2 is provided on the outer surface of a carcass 1, and a surface skin 3 is placed over the adhesive layer 2; or the adhesive layer 2 is provided on the inner surface of the surface skin 3, and the surface skin 3 is placed over the carcass 1; and then adhesion of the surface skin to the carcass is performed by a means that is free of solvent.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carcass 1 comprises the adhesive layer 2 provided over a tube 1 a; or, as shown in FIG. 3, it comprises a reinforcing layer 4 provided over the tube 1 a, and the adhesive layer 2 provided over the reinforcing layer 4.

Further, the adhesive layer 2 used in the present invention is selected from an adhesive film, a thermal adhesion film, a powdered adhesive agent, and a non-solvent adhesive agent.

The surface skin 3 is made from natural leather, synthetic leather, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, natural sponge rubber, synthetic sponge rubber, natural fabric, synthetic fabric, or the like.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Because an adhering means that requires no solvent is used in the present invention, a uniform adhesive layer is obtained on the carcass and surface skin; and when an adhesive film is used for the adhesive layer, the carcass and surface skin are adhered together. The adhesive film can be punched out in any shape desired, and there is no oozing of solvent; and since no solvent is used, it is also friendly to the environment, creates no odor, poses no danger of fire attributable to catalysts, and eliminates the solvent drying time and space that would otherwise be required.

Also, because the adhering means that requires no solvent is employed, there is no need to deal with changes over time in the relationship between the solvent and the adhesive layer as in the past, nor is there any danger of curing modification; and therefore no particular skill is required, which lowers the cost entailed. Thus, the present invention is extremely beneficial in terms of both safety and ease of work. 

1. A method for adhering a surface skin of a ball, comprising the steps of providing an adhesive layer on an outer surface of a carcass and placing a surface skin over said adhesive layer, or providing an adhesive layer on an inner surface of a surface skin and placing said surface skin over a carcass; and then performing adhesion with a means that is free of solvent.
 2. The method for adhering a surface skin of a ball according to claim 1, wherein the carcass is produced by either providing an adhesive layer over a tube or providing a reinforcing layer over a tube and providing an adhesive layer over said reinforcing layer.
 3. The method for adhering a surface skin of a ball according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is one selected from an adhesive film, a thermal adhesion film, a powdered adhesive agent, and a non-solvent adhesive agent.
 4. The method for adhering a surface skin of a ball according to claim 1, wherein the means free of solvent is heating, pressing, or rubbing. 